Former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has described the Yoruba expression “Emilokan” as a form of despotism.
NEWSNGR reports that Aregbesola spoke in a viral video while discussing President Bola Tinubu and the political meaning of the expression, which gained prominence during the 2023 presidential campaign.
According to him, “Emilokan” does not simply mean that it is someone’s turn to occupy a political position.
He described it as an expression of a person’s belief that they have a divine right to control a particular space and exercise authority over it.
Aregbesola said the closest single English word to describe the concept was despotism.
He explained that a despot was someone who believed they possessed a divine right to administer space and time.
The former minister argued that the expression should not be interpreted as meaning that it is the turn of an individual, a group or a political organisation.
He said: “Despotism is a single word for Emilokan. I don’t know if you understand what I mean. Despotism. You know, despot. A man who believes that he has a divine right to administer space and time. That’s Emilokan. Not Awalokan, not Egbelokan, no Eyanlokan.
“It is Emi. That is affirming a divine authority, a divine right to who. If that was not well understood then, I want to believe Nigerians now know what it really means. So we are now having it not just being merely said rhetorically, but being physically demonstrated. But Nigerians have the opportunity today to prevent the assault on democracy.”
